164 Manual of the Game Birds of India. 



their fancied security. The flight of this 

 ' Teal ' is fairly fast ; occasionally when they 

 have been kept on the wing for some 

 time a party will stoop down to the 

 surface of a creek as though they meant 

 to pitch, and then change their minds 

 and rise again. When executing this 

 manoeuvre they rush past at a tremen- 

 dous pace. The broad white wing-bar, in 

 this species, is most conspicuous when 

 the bird is on the wing. 



" Winged birds promptly swim for the 

 nearest cover, into which they scuttle off 

 at a great pace, and are generally lost 

 without a dog. One I shot swam steadily 

 along in front of a Pathan convict who 

 was swimming after it in the capacity of 

 a retriever, and though hard pressed 

 made no attempt to dive till it reached 

 the bank, where it was caught. One of 

 the officers stationed here has a live bird 

 in captivity which was pinioned by a shot 

 some months ago. It thrives well on 

 paddy, but has not become very tame. 

 It spends most of the day asleep, with 

 its head resting on the plumage of the 

 back. The local sportsmen have christened 

 them ' Gibberies.' 



" They are rather difficult birds to skin, 

 being very fat, and having, for a Duck, 



